"I have this fantastic idea to start an online business and sell what I love and am passionate about and thousands of people are likely to come running to buy my products now that I've got a web site. "
That's it, you're done and there's no looking back now! You've got your web business and you're going to make tons of money now aren't you?! Or even, are you?
The reality of the situation is, many people start a company online everyday, yet almost all of them fail to execute a few simple steps that would inevitably cause them to success. Nearly all of us at one point in our entrepreneurial career has thought that we had a good idea that everyone wants or needs and they were just as excited about it when you are. The fact of the matter is you are an expert within your particular niche and that's what you are passionate about. But how are you going to reveal that passion, let alone your products and services with your target target audience? Here are a few simple steps you can follow to ensure you succeed together with your online business.
Step 1 - Know Your Target Audience
The idea of knowing your audience goes deeper than identifying who they're, where they hang out and what they want however. Take the time to get at know your target audience. Ask them questions and learn what it is actually they seek from you. Online surveys are a great way to hear directly out of your target audience. Use the free service from SurveyMonkey to create an online survey and ask your target audience along with your email list subscribers to answer the questions. Their free plan allows you to definitely create 10 question surveys and is very useful.
Step 2 - Plan Your company
This is a topic I cover in greater detail in my free 15 day program. No online business can succeed without a plan. You must create a strategy to implement for your online business before you can ever hope to achieve success. This applies whether your a brick and mortar real world business or even strictly operating online, having a plan of action greatly increases your likelihood of success!
Step 3 - Follow the Leader
Identify who the industry leaders are in your target market or niche and follow them closely. Learn from them to recognize what led to their success. Take from them what works best for you and apply the lessons you've learned to produce a more specific and personalized method to success for your online business.
Step four - Devise a Marketing Strategy
This is an area where many online business owners fail. If you want your online business to succeed, you should try to learn how to market your business. Having a well thought out marketing plan is a major key to your web business success.
Step 5 - Pay Attention to Opportunity
Opportunity exists everywhere, you simply need to learn how to identify it. This is done through practice, practice, exercise. The best way to learn how to identify opportunity is to learn to be a better conversationalist. Opportunities present themselves in the most unlikely associated with situations usually. Learning to simply have conversations with others almost always leads to some type of opportunity presenting itself to you. Learn this art and your online business goes far!
Step 6 - Create Actionable Goals
Goal setting is a key requirement that you should succeed at anything you do. Set actionable goals you need to achieve to be able to attain success within your online business. Each goal is a small action toward the success you seek. Make sure to include dates for when you want to achieve your goals. Including dates gives you something more to shoot with regard to. Also, be specific about what you intend to achieve. For example, to possess a goal of "make more money" is not an actionable goal. Instead, apply a quantity and date to make the goal more realistic and achievable such as "I plan to make $10, 000 a month by December 31st, 2010".
Step 7 - Work Your company Everyday
This one is a little tricky. When I say to "work your company everyday" I mean within reason. You need to find a balance, especially if you're just starting out. You must work your online business everyday, even if it's for only 30 minutes a day. Each small step you take toward your goals is part of a larger effort to achieve success.
Step 8 - Don't be the Pencil Pusher
Man if I had a penny for every time I've seen that one! Don't get stuck in the preparation phase of your online business. To a lot of times I've seen aspiring online business owners continue to prepare or organize their online business. You'll never be 100% prepared so quit straightening your pencils and arranging your desk. You know what your action items are, so take action and just do the things that will make you money!
Step 9 - Create Content that Matters
Make sure to supply your target audience with quality content that meets their expectations and offers value. Your target audience is looking for value and will follow you fiercely should you provide it. Answer their questions and provide for their needs and you'll find they can help you succeed.
Step 10 - Build a Relationship List
No, no, I don't mean you create an internet dating service... You should be actively building an email subscriber list and communicating with them regularly. Doing so allows you to build a relationship with your subscribers which leads to customer loyalty in addition to repeat buyers. An email list is by far the single most important requirement essential for any online business to succeed.
Well I've certainly given you a lot to consider, so stop sucking and get'er done!!!